I turn 30 today. Inspired by Bassems Eleuthera article, I wrote this letter to my children: To my children… Live your life by a set of transportable core values that remain constant across time and space. Have faith. Pray a lot, for prayer is a humbling experience. When you stand before God, dwell on His greatness so you might be reminded of the insignificance of your troubles. Fast a lot, for fasting clears the mind. When you break fast, think of those whose deprivation from food and water does not end when the sun sets. Eat in moderation after a day of fast – or you’re missing the point. Reflect a lot, for reflection awakens your faith. Be close to nature, watch small creatures, and reflect on the beauty of God’s creation. Reflection is an underrated form of worship. Always be grateful, for gratefulness is contentment. When you go to your bed at night, be thankful for the blessing that is the comfort of a warm bed. On a cold or windy night, be thankful for a roof over your head. Be thankful for your health. Be thankful for your family. Be thankful for feeling safe. Be thankful for financial security. And always spare a thought for those less fortunate. Serve your community. This always begins with your most immediate circle, and extends to all of humanity. Always smile. Be sympathetic to the hardships and suffering of others. Show others that you care. When you do a job, do it well. Do random acts of kindness. Support a good cause. Give to charity. You don’t need to be rich to do charity. The sincerest act of charity is to part with something you can hardly spare. Be an agent of positive change. This should not change wherever you are in the world. You choose where you live and where you belong. If you can help it, don’t live somewhere where everyone looks the same and speaks the same language. The illusion that is one nation, one language, one religion, one culture is a man-made myth, and one of the greatest disservices to humanity. It’s a backward, stifling concept. Live in a place where diversity is celebrated. There is something truly rejuvenating about seeing yourself in the face of someone who looks very different from you. Your body is your vessel and your vehicle, but it’s not you, so don’t preoccupy yourself too much with it. Seek to make yourself outshine your exterior, let others see that it’s what’s on the inside that matters. Like your home or your car, you need to maintain your body, and keep it tidy. But unlike a home or a car, you can’t replace your body when it malfunctions, so take good care of it. And always remember, if you live your life right, your body will age and shrivel long before you do. Love yourself and accept yourself with all your faults, only then will you be able to extend your love to others. Accept the differences of others, but be at peace with who you are. Be proud of your identity – however you wish to define it – but never think you are better than others by virtue of some inherent trait, be it race, nationality, religion, education or anything else for that matter. Never look down on others. Never judge others – and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be spared the judgements of others. Learn about different cultures. Listen to different languages. Learn to enjoy the music of different tongues. Learn to speak a little of several languages, and learn to speak at least one different language well. Learn to cook dishes from faraway places. Train your taste buds to enjoy different flavours. Read books from different cultures, and if you can afford it, travel to different countries. Learn about world histories – but start with your own. Seek to break the barriers of national boundaries. Learn to be a child of the world. Don’t let society dictate the terms by which you measure your success. Instead, create your own terms which are born from a set of core values with an ambition to excel and improve. Remember that success does not mean career success, and never put your career before your family. Success in your career is not success if you can’t share it and celebrate it with your family. Real success is a combination of contentment and self-fulfilment. Think about tomorrow and plan for the future, but always remind yourself that life is but a fleeting moment. Write a will. Don’t hoard. Regularly give away things that you haven’t used in a while. Tell the people that matter to you that you love them. Tell them a lot. Ask yourself what you want to be remembered by, and make your goal to leave a legacy. When you put down roots in a place, make sure they don’t run too deep. Never think of setting up a ‘permanent’ home, or think this is THE home. In this life, nothing is meant to be permanent. Signed, Mummy.
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 17:03:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015